Up for the Sunrise this Morning! 🌅

We were up at 5:45AM this morning in order to meet our group ... four of us are taking the Balinese Fish Market and Cooking Class! It was still pitch black outside. I hoped if we hurried we could get down to the beach by 6:22AM!

It was NOT raining which made it even more inviting to go. And, I was so grateful we went! Aside from a group of women blasting thumping music from their boom box ... it was such a delightfully beautiful way to start the day! The tide was way out and the cloud cover made for interesting shifts in the patterns and colors of the sunlight's reflections on the water.

After a 30 minute commute, our first stop was the fish market to pick up fresh Mahi Mahi and prawns! And, even though there were tons of pounds of every kind of 'gift from the sea' you could think of ... there was not ONE whiff of fishy smell. Seriously ... there was not one inkling that we were surrounded by fish and seafood! Everything was so clean and fresh!!

Our second stop was the fresh food market for snake beans, kafir limes, papaya, dragon fruit, mild chili peppers and cloves. We learned that lemons and onions aren't used in traditional Balinese cuisine ... but ... they do use scallions! We also learned that there are no apples or berries in Bali and mangos are now out of season. Tangerines are dark green. They look like they are not ripe, but they are orange inside.

When we got to the cooking class, we were so impressed with the way things were set up. I was starving ... and ... dying for a coffee because we'd been up and at it for three hours already. Fortunately, I nibbled on some cashews on the ride ... which helped tide me over until breakfast was ready!

They served us a traditional Balinese breakfast (I describe it in the photo) and freshly squeezed tangerine juice. Our menu was posted and we began the process of making the foundational elements of Balinese cooking. We discovered that 'shrimp paste' is the Indonesian 'MSG'. Apparently it is a staple used in almost everything. Just to clarify, they do not use MSG in anything.

We also made the Indonesian sambal. And, it can be created with various amounts of heat. We made two different soup broths ... one chicken and one fish. Our chef was such a delight and made the whole experience incredibly fun. Of course ... the old boy was in there like a dirty shirt! We thoroughly enjoyed the results of our efforts in the kitchen!

They are sending us home with all the recipes ... so ... hopefully we can find some of the ingredients at the Asian market and recreate a recipe or two once we are home.

The sun was still shining when we got back from cooking class. We thought we would sit outside and have a glass of wine, but it proved to be too hot. So, the old boy went for a snooze and I started writing up the blog. We have a pool just outside our room, but the water is really cold right now. It will take a little while for the sun to warm it.

After the old boy woke up ... I laid down why he played a few rounds of bridge. And then, we decided to take a walk south along the board walk along the beach. We walked for a way and noticed the tsunami towers in the water. It must be so reassuring for folks to know that these towers will alert them in plenty of time ... should something like that happen again here in Asia.

As we were heading out for our walk, we got an invitation to join another couple in our group for 'high tea' at the restaurant. We joined them after our walk and although we were still full from our cooking class, we just had to try all the appys that were offered. None of them seemed as tasty as what we created in our class. The standout of the 'high tea' was a traditional cleansing drink made with turmeric. We all enjoyed it very much.

We were having such a nice visit with our fellow guests that 'high tea' turned into 'happy hour'! So, being folks who roll with the punches ... we ordered the 40% off bottle of wine and continued chatting. We opted NOT to reserve a table for the Valentines Supper. It cost 1,300,000 rupiahs ... which is the equivalent to about $113CAD per plate PLUS 25% service charge. They did offer a 30% discount ... and the old boy was game ... but I did not like the menu. So, we'll have to find another option for happy hearts day.

It was almost 7:00pm by the time we got back to the room. I needed to take a shower and freshen up. Without the rain ... it feels hot here! And, I think we were both smelling pretty ripe. We opted to simply cut up some cheese and add some sour cream and onion chips to the platter... and ... call it supper.

Tomorrow we are excited to have a free day. There are so many things to explore and do. And, I don't expect we'll catch the sunrise tomorrow! Two days down and twelve to go.

Nighty night ...
❤️ k&j ❤️ Czytaj więcej